How Money Messes With Your Mind

Dan Ariely has done a lot of (better) research showing all the weird effects money has on people. For instance, people experience more pain relief if they are told that the pill they took cost $5.00, as opposed to $.50. Unlike this study, at least it's relevant to life. (Seriously, they're not going to give $100 bills to kids in hospitals to count.)

Incidentally, it can have also have negative effects if used as a motivator. They asked people to a simple computer task, and people did a lot better at it if they were asked to do it "because it would help the researchers" than if they received $5.00. They did the worst if they were only paid $.50.

(He has two very good, albeit not very relevant, Ted talks: http://www.ted.com/speakers/dan_ariely.html )

Have they ever studied what happens if they just start treating people with dignity?

That's funny. Same with the giving kids money to count idea. Wouldn't this make people feel more depressed, more in pain in the long run when they realize it's not theirs or some might be like "I can never make that much" etc.

Reading "The power of now" by Eckhart Tolle will totally make you reject these ideas and you will most likely be told to the way out of pain is not with money, rather to be present and accept the now.